New single-family home size had been falling since 2015 in response to declining affordability conditions. An exception occurred in 2021, when new home size increased as interest rates reached historic lows. However, as mortgage interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023 and affordability worsened, demand shifted back toward smaller homes. This trend appears to be reversing again as the entry-level has been weak.
According to second quarter 2026 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area was 2,185 square feet, effectively unchanged from the prior quarter. Average (mean) square footage for new single-family homes registered at 2,426 square feet, a small increase year-over-year.
On a one-year moving average basis, the average size of a new single-family home increased slightly to 2,421 square feet, while the median size increased to 2,184 square feet. Since 2024 home size has trended higher as the upper end of the housing market has fared better than the entry level.
Home size trends in 2026 are likely to post continued small gains, driven by relative strength at the higher end of the market but will be constrained by housing affordability challenges.
